In the 1990s and 2000s, two athletes — New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter and New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning — were the toast of the town in New York City thanks to their multiple championships and subsequent trips through the Canyon of Heroes. And while the two had a long-standing relationship as their respective careers intertwined, never before had they publicly discussed their careers with each other out in the open until now.
On an episode of The Eli Manning Show that was released on the New York Giants’ YouTube channel, featuring a conversation between Manning and Derek Jeter, they recalled their shared experiences of being a star athlete in New York. One of the primary anecdotes that came up during their discussion was the recollection of a phone call from Jeter to Manning in 2004 after Manning had posted a 0.0 quarterback rating in a 37-14 beatdown at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens.
“You called me after that week, we were about to play a game, and you just said ‘Hey, keep grinding, keep your head up, keep working. New York’s a tough place,'” Manning said. “It meant a lot to me, because when I was coming into New York, you were the role model. You were kind of ‘Hey, this is where you want to get to. You want to get to Derek Jeter-level.’ And a guy who just came in, played in New York winning championships, but also how you acted off the field with such class. So I appreciate that phone call.”
“When you’re in New York, this is a tough town to play in because the expectation levels are so high,” Jeter said. “And I don’t care where you come from, it’s an adjustment period. And I had been where you were. I came up and struggled, everyone struggles here. But I just wanted to call you and let you know that I’m here if you ever need anything.”
Among the other notable stories that Manning and Jeter shared included when Jeter invited Manning to his charity golf event in Florida, an experience which left the younger of the Manning brothers feeling rather starstruck.
“I remember I was on a bus going to the golf tournament. I’m on there with Wayne Gretzky, Michael Jordan, Reggie Jackson,” Manning said. “I’m like ‘I think I’m on the wrong bus. I should be driving this thing, I should not be allowed (on).'”
“You were definitely on the right bus,” Jeter laughed. “Sometimes you don’t know it at the time, but you were on the right bus.”
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